Richard MacGeorge on future studies, strategy, and trying new things

Elizabeth speaks with Richard MacGeorge, a futures expert and infrastructure financial advisor. Since the 1980s Richard has worked on projects around the world, including a time at the World Bank, focusing on financing infrastructure projects in low and middle-income countries. In 2011, he returned home to Christchurch, New Zealand on sabbatical to support earthquake recovery. He started pursuing a PhD in Futures Studies in 2020.

In the conversation, Richard introduces us to futures studies, and the concept of imagining multiple potential futures rather than making predictions. They discuss the power of generative AI, adaptive strategies, and the integration of foresight and backcasting in planning. They consider the need for long-term thinking in disaster management, and Richard shares his vision for green and living infrastructure as part of a holistic approach to recovery and resilience. They discuss Richard’s PhD studies, storytelling and his Vanishing Point comic, and also courage and the importance of trusting our intuition and inner voices.

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